(Norway x Antarctica OC) (Iceland x Alaska OC)
by Ellerosa
Summary: Arranged marriages don't always go as expected. As hearts thaw and feelings are realised, can these four nations resolve their burden? I worked on this one in collaboration with the lovely Antarctica-sama, using her OC, Lukka. Anja is my own OC for Alaska. I don't own Hetalia, or the world...yet...


I don't own Hetalia at all...such a shame...

Anja gazed at her reflection in the large ornate mirror; vaguely aware that tomorrow she would not longer be a child. She had denied the fact for so very long, but how could she continue to deceive herself so? She was twenty years old now, fit to be a wife, fit to become one tomorrow. She turned to admire the dress she donned, marveling at the craftsmanship of the tailors. The bodice, made of a silvery silk wove its way around her waist and dove into a sleek velvety skirt. Her train of silver chiffon stretched three feet behind her and danced about her feet as she turned. It was truly beautiful, but felt and looked so foreign upon her.

The man she was to wed was the representative, or personification as most people preferred, of Norway. Her father had arranged the marriage to tie their two countries to each other. Anja was the heir to her father's title of Representative of Alaska. She needed a spouse that could accommodate for her in his own country so that she could battle global warming instead of being effected by it as she was in her current residence. What better union that with Norway? But Anja was unhappy: she knew that her dear friend, Lukka, or Antarctica, had only just kindled a relationship with Lukas previous to the engagement. Anja in her own right did not want to marry him anyway, not when her sights were already set (and had been for some time) on Iceland, Lukas' younger brother.

Anja and her friend were both perishing, though. Global warming had taken its toll on them both, and would probably kill them unless they produced strong heirs. Adaptation was the key, Anja knew, and if she managed to produce heirs with a country that could resist against the warmth, then her title and land would be secured.

"You look beautiful."

Anja was startled back to reality by the sound of Lukas' monotonous compliment. She knew that he had not meant it out of love. Such comments were reserved for Luka alone.

"Thank you," she replied nonetheless, turning to smile sadly at him. His indigo gaze fell on her, as terrifyingly stoic as ever. Suddenly, she felt self-conscious in his gaze. Anja knew that she could not compare to Lukka in his eyes, but she didn't particularly want to. "Lukas, do we really have to do this?"

He gave no answer, but turned away from her. Anja's father was an intimidating and manipulative man. Because of that, Lukas did not have a choice but to enter the marriage if he valued his life.

"I know that you want out of this as much as I," she continued, pinching distastefully at the material of her dress. It seemed so wrong for such a beautiful dress to be wasted upon such a sad day for the both of them. She turned back to the mirror and huffed a sad sigh. "I might have a solution, though."

This caught Lukas' attention, as he straightened and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Anja ran a hand through her white tresses and smiled devilishly at the Norwegian.

"Do you think, perhaps, that Emil might like me in this dress?"

Lukas returned home to the Nordic household with an odd sense of fulfillment replacing the heaviness in his heart. Because of Anja's well-constructed plan, they could each have their own way. He was now free to marry Lukka, if she accepted.

"Lukas, you're home already?" Emil's quiet voice chimed from the living room. Lukas found his brother before the fire, basking in its warmth, though it wasn't particularly cold outside. Emil, he thought, would be a perfect husband for Anja. He'd harbored feelings for her for a very long time now, and it was clear that Anja had as well, although Lukas had only just discovered it.

"Emil," Lukas began with a firmer voice than usual. He was not angry, nor was he going to force Emil into the marriage, but he needed to establish his seriousness first. "Are we alone?"

Emil nodded, and, turning to regard his brother with concern, ushered him to the seat opposite himself. Lukas abruptly sat and stared at his brother for a rather discomforting length of time.

"What is it, Lukas?"

He took a deep breath and composed himself – not that he could be much more composed – before speaking.

"As you know, I am to be married tomorrow," he said. Emil nodded, confused as to the direction of the conversation. He was already Lukas' best man, he already had to stand and watch as the girl he loved wed his brother. What more could Lukas want? "Anja and I have decided something very serious. We need your consent, however."

Here, Lukas paused and let his words sink in. This only served to frustrate Emil more. The latter likened it to the suspense one feels when a show's host pauses before they tell you who wins.

"Whatever it is, I can't give you my consent until you _tell_ me," he huffed. Lukas blinked, and continued, unfazed by his brother's unusual impatience.

"Anja would like you to marry her."

Norway had a bubble of hope that seemed to grow with every hour as the little airplane he was riding took him closer and closer to Antarctica. As he looked outside the window, watching as the landscape changed from the rugged terrain of Australia to the deep azure of the ocean, he thought about the plan he and Anja had come up with. Could it be that he could really stay with Lukka? It seemed to good to be true. Lukas leaned his head against the cool glass of the window.

Outside, it was getting colder and colder. But inside of Lukas, his heart became warmer and warmer.

The airplane landed with a jolt and a thud that made Lukas' teeth clatter. When the plane finally came to a stop on the slippery landing slip, Lukas stood up, grabbing his bags. As he was the only person on the plane, there was no bustling and pushing as people fought to get out of their seats. He practically ran off the plane, his eagerness to see Lukka making him impatient.

Outside, the landscape was a sprawl of ice and snow, sparkling with rainbow brilliance in the weak Antarctica sun. Even though he was bundled up, Lukas still felt the cold of this desolate, beautiful place seep through his layers, making him shiver. Lukka was exactly like this place: whimsical, pale, and strong.

The landing strip was in the middle of nowhere: no buildings, no people, no anything, just a blank expanse of ice stretching for hundreds of miles. Lukas didn't even know where Lukka's home was; he had heard she lived in some modernized cave, but that could be anywhere. Just as Lukas was starting to despair, he heard an angry sound behind him. Spinning around, Lukas saw a familiar friend: Mr. Penguin, Lukka's protector and best friend. His bowtie and hat were as awesome as ever.

"Mr. Penguin! I'm glad you're here. I need to see Lukka at once, it's urgent."

Mr. Penguin quacked angrily.

"No, I didn't dump Lukka! I was forced into marriage with Alaska! It was not my fault! No, I'm not coming to rub it in! I'm here to see Lukka to tell her that I love her!"

That gave Mr. Penguin something to think about. He cocked his head, and then motioned Lukas to follow him. In Penguin, he said solemnly, "Then you'd better come quickly. Lukka is dying."

Lukka sat in the entrance to her cave, facing the land she loved so dearly. Her breath came in harsh, labored gasps, and she wore nothing but her dress. Her eyes, usually so bright and full of life, were glazed over and dull. When Lukas had told her that he couldn't be with her and became engaged with Anja, her best friend, Lukka had fallen into an icy despair. She no longer ate, no longer drank. Although she was immortal this, coupled with global warming, had taken its heavy toll. She was thinner and paler than the snow that fell outside.

But at that moment, a voice she knew and loved called her name.

"Lukka! Lukka, I'm here!"

Could it be...

"Nor?" Lukka whispered. "Nor, is that you?" Standing up, she stumbled outside, her face lighting up when she saw her one true love. She ran as fast as she could, and they met each other with a emotional embrace.

"Nor, what are you doing here? Aren't you getting married with Anja?"

Lukas whispered in her ear. "No Lukka. I'm going to marry you, and I don't care what my parents say."

"But Anja..."

"Loves Emil. It's all right. We're all going to get the fairy tale wedding we wanted. The world can be damned."

And they held each other as the snow fell.

"Father, I will take full responsibility for this," Anja reasoned, her voice thick with tears. She had just endured a full hour of Theodor (her father's) terrible temper. Of course whilst Lukas travelled to Antarctica to see Lukka, she had taken the initiative to settle the new arrangements with their parents. Lukas' own father, Mikael, sat brooding behind his office desk, his face red and expression positively murderous.

"You wish to marry Emil? We will lose a valuable union to Norway because of your weak heart!" her father thundered. It was true; the union was severed now, but they would be siblings now. A whole generation of unified countries through marriage! Was that not better? This, she posed to the men.

"Antarctica is so far away though. How could the marriage last between such a distance?" Mikael muttered. He was a quieter man, just like his sons, but his temper was no less terrifying than Theodor's.

"Lukka is sickly. It would be better for her to stay with Lukas than to be alone in Antarctica. She has the same sickness as me, Father. Think of her wellbeing as my best friend." Lukka's situation was similar to Anja's; she could marry Lukas and have children that _could _resist global warming. Adaptation.

Indeed, Anja intended to live with Emil in Iceland rather than in her own country.

"I see your reasoning is logical. You've thought this through thoroughly, haven't you?" Mikael said. "I'll agree on one condition."

Anja was elated – so much so that she nearly tackled Mikael in a hug. But she restrained herself to appear dignified before the fathers. She nodded and waited for him to continue. "I demand a treaty of unification to be signed by all of you, and at least two heirs from each of you to inherit your titles."

"Of course…father," Anja said mischievously. Mikael huffed and looked to Theodor, who in turn, nodded. Although his expression was no less displeased, he had accepted.

There was a tangible air of excitement blooming in the Nordic household upon the dawn of their weddings. Anja and Lukka, who had slept in the guest's quarters, unseen by their fiancés, woke peacefully to the day. Downstairs, they could hear the sound of Tino rushing around in the kitchen, fixing breakfast for the two brides as the others slept. He had been their caretaker for the past week as they boarded at the Nordic's house.

"Anja and Emil Bondevik. Lukas and Lukka Bondevik," Anja mused. The names tasted strange on her tongue, but seemed to fit just right. She smiled and nudged Lukka, who rested on the edge of consciousness in the bed opposite hers. The latter was just about recovered from the terrible illness that Lukas had found her succumbed to.

"It's today, isn't it?" she breathed excitedly. Lukka sprung from her bed and threw open the closet to reveal their wedding dresses, wrapped in garment bags and hanging proudly from a separate rail.

"Come on," Anja began, sliding from her bed and into a nightgown. "Let's start."

She gave a brilliant smile that Lukka could not help but return. Suddenly, however, Anja found herself sitting upon the stool before the vanity mirror, Lukka fixing her there with a firm grasp on her shoulders.

"You first!"

The brides were finally ready nearly two hours after they had begun. Anja's thick white hair was plaited and bundled atop her head, held secure by a silky black ribbon. She donned the silver dress she had intended to wear to her wedding with Lukas, only now it seemed to suit the happy occasion better. Lukka too was primped to perfection, her makeup delicate and beautiful to suit her own disposition. Her dress, a white corset bodice and full skirt framed by gold ribbon around her waist, rendered her a snowy goddess. Her hair flaxen hair fell in a thick plait across her shoulder, a white ribbon weaved intricately through it.

They were beautiful to say the least, and it was fair to say that when the door opened to the church, Lukas and Emil's mouths fell agape. The latter, who never would have suspected that he'd be getting married today – in fact, he had intended to wallow in his own misfortune of losing the girl he loved to his brother – just about fainted with elation. He watched his bride, Anja, pace the isle like a goddess floating on a bed of silk.

Lukas too watched his own bride, Lukka, his heart swollen with love and pride. He had overcome his own weakness thanks to Anja, and had finally gotten his lifelong wish. Today, he was to marry Lukka.

The two brides – Anja guided by Theodor and Lukka guided by Mikael – arrived at the altar and took the respective arms of their husbands after a brief kiss to the cheek of the older men. The priest progressed with the ceremony and soon the vows were made.

"Do you, Lukas, take Lukka to be your lawful wedded wife in sickness and in health 'til death do you part?"

Lukas smiled at Lukka, whose brilliant eyes sparkled with unshed happy tears. He took the ring and slipped it onto her finger. "I do."

The priest continued, "and do you, Lukka, take Lukas to be your lawful wedded husband in sickness and in health 'til death do you part?"

"I do!" Lukka answered quickly with a bright smile, tears gliding down her rosy cheeks. She coaxed the wedding band onto Lukas' finger happily.

Presently, the priest turned to his left and gazed merrily at the other couple. Anja and Emil stood by each other, eagerly waiting for their turn to share their promise.

"Do you, Emil, take Anja to be your lawful wedded wife in sickness and in health 'til death do you part?"

Emil stepped towards Anja and, taking the ring, answered uncharacteristically loud and clear: "I do."

He took her hand and delicately slipped the wedding band onto her finger. She smiled up at him and whispered an 'I love you' – the first Emil had ever received from her. He smiled warmly and caressed her porcelain cheek briefly.

"Do you, Anja, take Emil to be your lawful wedded husband in sickness and in health 'til death do you part?" the priest muttered. Anja threw a glare at him for his unenthusiastic prompting, to which he cleared his throat and perked up.

"I do," she answered, and took the ring to put on Emil's finger. They were all married now; her best friend was now her sister, and she was brother to Lukas. Emil was her _husband_. Nothing could have bested this moment.

"You may now kiss your brides," the priest announced, to which Emil and Lukas stepped forwards, lifted the veils of their wives, and pressed their lips to theirs. Lukka, ridiculously happy as she was, slung her arms around Lukas' neck and fixed him to her. Emil rejoiced internally that it was not Anja standing before Lukas as it had meant to be, but Lukka. He embraced Anja and pulled back. It was the first time any of them had seen him smile.


End file.
